


The Luck I've Had Can Make a Good Man Turn Bad

by ChristianCat



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: M/M, Oblivious, Pining, Post-Inception
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-18
Updated: 2015-06-18
Packaged: 2018-04-04 22:18:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4155072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChristianCat/pseuds/ChristianCat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eames asks Arthur to pretend to be his boyfriend whilst he attends an ex's wedding. Eames is very oblivious to Arthur's feelings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Luck I've Had Can Make a Good Man Turn Bad

“Arthur?”  


His name seemed to roll off Eames’ tongue perfectly. Coming from Eames, his name sounded lovely, exquisite and unique. Maybe it was down to Eames’ accent, his ridiculously posh tone of voice that matched his ridiculous shirts. 

“What.” He replied, without looking up. 

That’s it, pretend you’re not interested. 

“My ex is getting married.” 

“Is this some sort of disaster? Why are you telling me?” Genuinely baffled, Arthur looked up at him. Eames was shifting his weight from foot to foot and playing with his hands nervously. He wanted something. “I’m not marrying you in revenge!”

Eames giggled a bit. “No! That’s not what I’m asking! Well…” Arthur cut him off dangerously. 

“What do you want, Mr Eames?” His eyes flashed with a warning.

“Okay don’t hurt me when you hear this!! Basically, my ex is getting married and for some fucking reason, I’ve been invited! And I can’t really turn up to my ex’s wedding on my own, can I?!”

Arthur forced himself not to laugh at Eames’ unfortunate situation. “Can’t you just not turn up?” 

“Well yeah, but I’d rather turn up with an attractive date to rub it in his face.” 

Oh no. 

“No way in Hell.” Arthur turned back to his work, blushing furiously. 

“Please, Arthur! I’ll pay you if need be! I just don’t want to look an idiot in front of him!” He blushed slightly. 

Arthur knew there was no way this could end well. No, he wasn’t going to allow Eames to use him for revenge. He liked Eames too much for that. Why set himself up for heartbreak? 

“No, Eames. I don’t want to.” 

“Come on!! Just for the day! It’ll be fine, okay? I’ll create a backstory for our relationship, we go to the wedding, we never speak of it again, Hell, I’ll never take another job with you again if that would make you happy! Please, Arthur?” Eames looked at him with pleading puppy dog eyes, the flecks of brown glittering ever so slightly. 

Arthur sighed in defeat. 

“Fine, but we never speak of this again, clear? Or I will see to it that you die a horrific and painful death.” He threatened.

Eames nodded enthusiastically and gave Arthur all the details. 

***

Four weeks later, the wedding had arrived. Eames had booked them a room in a lovely hotel not too far from the church. Much to Arthur’s dismay, he’d forgotten to mention they needed two beds, not one. Thankfully, Arthur trusted himself not to do anything stupid, and he could deal with awkward boners before Eames woke up. 

He hadn’t forgiven himself for agreeing to date Eames for a day. His feelings for Eames had steadily grown since they first met, and several years ago he resigned himself to the fact that Eames’ wasn’t interested. He stopped his flirting, his offers for dates. His feelings never faded though, and he still seized every opportunity he could to work with him. He knew today would be painful for him, having to hold his hand and kiss his cheek and know he’d never get to again. 

Eames looked incredibly handsome in a suit. Arthur couldn’t recall ever seeing Eames in a black suit before. He savoured the image in his mind, the projection of Eames in a suit would come in handy. 

“I can’t believe the little shit invited me to his wedding,” Eames groaned. “We hate each other! What kind of twat invites his ex to his wedding?!” He shuffled his feet and took a drag of his cigarette. 

Arthur sighed and leaned back against the wall, watching his lips as he breathed out. He ignored the knot his stomach twisted itself into. “Maybe he still likes you, he gave me such a dirty look when he left the building.” He shivered slightly, not used to the British summer. 

Eames only laughed. “Well, it’s a bit late for that now, unfortunately.” Arthur tried to ignore the way the flecks of brown in his eyes seemed to lose their shimmer. 

He was about to say something, when the groom in question walked over to them. His hands were buried deep in his pockets and his face was challenging them. His cheekbones were as sharp as a razor’s edge and his eyes were a cold grey. He was a little thinner than Arthur, without the lean muscle.

Arthur tried to act like he’d been dating Eames for five months and was completely comfortable around him. His heart was racing and Eames’ skin was foreign to him. He had to make this man jealous, but he could feel the panic rising. He’d never even stood this close to Eames before. 

“Will,” The ex said, leaning back on his heels so his skinny hips pushed out. Arthur was too shocked that Eames had grabbed his hand to notice he’d addressed him as Will. To counteract his sudden look of surprise, he leaned into Eames and wrapped an arm around his waist. “Who’s this then?” He had an accent similar to Eames’, or Will, whoever he really was. 

Eames’ relaxed manner put Arthur at ease. He looked down at his faux boyfriend and smiled adoringly. “This is Arthur, we met on tour.” 

Arthur very nearly pointed out that he was never in the military, but it was better than saying ‘I steal corporate secrets from inside people’s minds while they sleep’. He stepped forwards and held out his hand, smiling confidently. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you.” 

The groom stepped forwards and shook his hand, eyeing him up and down. When their eyes finally met, he looked hungry, lustful. He stepped back to Eames quickly, taking his arm. The groom didn’t look deterred by Eames’ looming presence. 

“So you were both in the army then? Surprised they let you in.” He gestured towards Arthur with his head. 

He threw a secret glare to Eames. “I wasn’t out at that point.” The groom just smirked.

“I’m surprised you’re married, didn’t think you could hold a relationship for that long before putting your dick in someone else.” Eames quipped. He only looked mildly offended, but he stepped forward anyway, ready for a fight. 

“Don’t fucking bring that up again, it was one time and-“

Arthur stepped in between the two of them. 

“Fuck you, Will!” The groom spat as he stormed off. 

Eames’ arm slipped around his waist, pulling him closer. Arthur shivered at the touch, his nervousness creeping back up on him. 

“Thanks, darling,” He said softly into his ear, before his lips made brief contact his Arthur’s earlobe. His head almost exploded. 

***

Arthur spent the rest of the evening pouring whiskey down his throat. He hated it every time Eames’ arms snaked around his waist, every gentle kiss that was placed against his dimples. The alcohol numbed his nerves and helped him forget that Eames wasn’t actually his. 

They danced together, their hips pressed together and arms around each other. Occasionally, Eames would nip at Arthur’s neck, and the smaller man would break out in giggles, his dimples on full display. His face was slightly red and his smile radiated alcoholic happiness for the entire evening. 

Despite the alcohol coursing through his veins, Arthur still noticed how wide Eames’ pupils were, how the flecks of brown were bright again. 

They sat and talked over glasses of bourbon, Arthur’s smile never fading. He never once noticed the angry glares Eames’ ex was throwing them. He stopped jumping when Eames’ touched his knee or kissed the corner of his mouth. He forgot that Eames wasn’t his to keep. That Eames wasn’t interested. 

Too many drinks later, Eames decided Arthur had drunk enough and it was time they left. He thanked the grooms and congratulated them, holding back his smirk as he helped an unsteady Arthur away from the party. 

Arthur was too wobbly to take the stairs. He left his drunken partner at the bottom of the staircase and went in search of a lift. The old fashioned building was without one, so he went back to Arthur and carefully picked him up, like his beloved bride. He giggled and squirmed slightly. 

“Why are you carrying me?” He slurred. 

“You’re drunk, you’ll hurt yourself.” Eames replied. Satisfied with this answer, Arthur rested his head against Eames’ chest and held onto his neck. 

Upon arrival at their room, Arthur remembered Eames wasn’t his. Despite this, he still grabbed onto his tie as Eames set him down on their bed, trying to pull him down for a kiss. He wanted to feel his lips before he sobered up. 

“It’s done now, poppet, we can stop pretending to be together.” Eames smiled, pushing himself out of Arthur’s grip and heading to the bathroom. 

Arthur’s heart sunk like a stone. He sat up and blinked the tears away, but there was nothing he could do to stop them from falling. He spent all day falling deeper and deeper in love with Eames. All day dulling his mind to the fact that Eames was only present to make his ex jealous. Surely Eames had developed some sort of feeling for him? They’d been touching and leaving light kisses on each other’s faces all day. 

“Thanks for coming with me today, Arthur, I really….God darling, are you alright?” Eames abandoned the running sink and rushed over to Arthur, sitting on the bed next to him. 

Arthur hid his face in his hands and turned away from him. “Piss off, Eames!!” He whimpered, his voice wobbling. 

Very carefully, Eames pulled him into his arms, attempting to rub his arm soothingly. Arthur struggled away before he really got the chance. 

“No!! Fuck you!! I’m not an object, Eames!! You can’t just use me for your benefit whenever you feel like it!! Why am I even here?!!” He screamed, tears streaming from his eyes. 

Eames tried to stay calm. “Arthur, darling, if you didn’t want to be here, you had four weeks to say so! Listen, come here and calm down.” He held his arms out for him. 

Arthur wiped his tears away and calmed slightly. “How could I? You looked at me with those stupid fucking eyes, how can I say no to your eyes! Your pretty, puppy dog eyes with the flecks of brown…” 

Eames sat on the bed, a little dumfounded. He never thought Arthur would ever find him attractive. He didn’t even think Arthur would be interested in him, interested in men at all. He only asked Arthur because he would’ve felt uncomfortable with anyone else.

“Arthur, calm down, you’ll feel better in the morning, once you’ve sobered up,” He got up and went back to the bathroom, filling a glass with water for him before shutting the taps off. “Here, we’ll start now, drink this.” He handed the glass to him.

He managed to steady his hands enough to take the glass, and sat down on the bed again. His tears slowly stopped, and he settled into a quiet sadness instead. He curled his knees up into his chest and sipped the water slowly. 

Eames retreated into the bathroom for a shower. He was confused. Arthur had never acted like he was interested in him. Arthur had never expressed feelings for anyone. A part of him felt guilty for dragging Arthur into his mess, but he had an opportunity to say no. Four weeks, to be exact. Arthur had four weeks to turn around and say he couldn’t. Eames sighed and got out the shower, drying off and heading back into the room. 

Arthur had changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants, and was curled up on the bed, facing outwards. His eyes were closed, but the red puffiness was still very visible. The guilt that washed over Eames was almost unbearable. He carefully tugged the covers out from underneath him and draped them over his shoulders, before grabbing his own change of clothes and heading back into the bathroom. He had to admit, Arthur was quite cute. 

He slipped into bed alongside Arthur and faced away from him. He switched the bedside lamp off and settled down, closing his eyes. 

Just as he was about to drift off, he felt the bed dip. Arthur’s hand was in his hair, playing with it gently. He wanted to turn around, to smile lazily at him and watch as he giggled. But he didn’t. He saved Arthur’s feelings, and pretended to be asleep. 

***

Arthur bailed as soon as he could. He packed up his stuff, showered and dressed, all before Eames woke up. He snuck away as quietly as he could, hailing a cab to the airport, where he jumped on the first flight he could. A flight to Paris. 

His head hurt from the alcohol and his chest hurt from the heartache. He’d spent years dreaming of Eames, watching him from across the room, smiling shyly, flirting teasingly. He had hoped against hope that Eames would fall for him, find him cute, want to kiss him. He knew deep down that Eames would never be interested, but the thought nearly bought him to tears. 

Upon arrival in Pairs, he ignored the frantic phone calls and texts from Eames. 

***

“Just don’t tell Arthur I’m on the job, or he won’t turn up.” 

“What the fuck, Eames?! What’ve you done now?” He’d never heard Ariadne swear. 

It’s complicated, alright? Just don’t tell him I’m going to be there, okay? He won’t speak to me, and he’s been avoiding jobs that I’m interested in.” 

Ariadne sighed on the other end of the line. “Fine! I won’t, but you two better work together!” And with that, she hung up. 

Eames was too excited at the prospect of seeing Arthur again to care. It had been almost six months since the disastrous wedding night, and Arthur hadn’t spoken to him since. Every time Eames expressed interest in a job Arthur was on, he dropped out. Vanished, told the extractor he had better things to do and snuck into another country. Eames was tired of Arthur running from him. 

He’d taken the time to think about his relationship with Arthur. He started right at the beginning, when Arthur flirted with him and cast him seductive glances occasionally. He’d been oblivious all along. The flirting stopped eventually, but this was around the time Mal died. He put Arthur’s sudden change in attitude down to her death. Arthur was closer to Mal than he was to anyone else. Then the night of the wedding. He thought of Arthur’s dimpled smiles and flushed cheeks, and realised he was adorable. Everything about him was, from his expensive taste in clothing to his sticky-out ears. 

Eames could easily say he had some feelings for Arthur, and they were growing incredibly fast, but he wasn’t sure if they were genuine. He might only like Arthur because Arthur liked him. 

He was nervous when the job started. Arthur hadn’t arrived yet and he missed him terribly. What if Arthur heard he’d taken the job and had run away again? What if he arrives, sees Eames, and backs off? What if he never got the chance to make things better between them? He swung in his chair nervously and fidgeted like a restless child. 

He was so nervous, he didn’t notice Arthur walk in, wearing his glasses rather than his contacts. He looked dishevelled, his hair a mess and tie undone. The bags under his eyes were hard to ignore. He seemed to have lost his spark, and he didn't hold himself as proudly as he had done. 

Eames didn’t look up until he heard a door slam. He saw Arthur stood in front of him, eyes wide with nerves, looking as though he was lost. 

“Arthur,” Eames said gently, standing up and rushing around his desk to get to him. Arthur backed off instantly. 

“No, don’t, don’t do that again, please.” He pleaded, averting his eyes. 

“Do what again?”

“Lead me on…” His voice was weak. “Lead me to believe I had a chance.”

Eames sat on his desk and tried to take his hand. “Well, if you listen to me, darling…”

Arthur’s head snapped back up. 

“Sorry?” His eyes met Eames, and he remembered the brown flecks that he’d fallen in love with. He remembered everything about Eames he'd tried so hard to forget, the light stubble and the curve of his full lips and his slightly crooked teeth. He'd tried to forget about the terms of endearment and the way the sound of his voice made his stomach flip. He knew that in reality, Eames was too much for one person to forget. Even down in his dreams, Arthur couldn't escape the projection he'd saved of Eames in that handsome black suit, with smoke trailing from his lips. 

Eames took Arthur’s hand while he was distracted and pulled him closer. “You do have a chance, Arthur, if you’d give me one. I don’t expect you to, I was a cock, I will admit, but I was oblivious to your feelings, and for that I apologise.” 

Arthur looked down, his face turning pink. He sniffed, and Eames noticed his face seemed to crinkle, as though he were starting to cry. He composed himself and looked up, smiling slightly at Eames. 

“I’d like a chance to develop my feelings for you, darling.” Eames said, squeezing his fingers. 

Arthur's face contorted in confusion. “So you don’t actually like me?! Eames, I'm not here to be experimented on and toyed with!” 

Eames swallowed. “I’m not sure if I genuinely like you, or if I like you because you like me…” He averted his gaze, unable to bear Arthur’s sad brown eyes anymore. 

There was a silence. Arthur wriggled his fingers free and stared at Eames. He had no energy to be angry. He was just upset. Upset that he’d been lead to believe Eames liked him again. 

“But I’d really like the chance to develop feelings, Arthur, I’m serious. I think you’re adorable, and you’re really talented and clever and hardworking, and I admire you for all that. I’m surprised I didn’t feel this sooner.” Eames tried desperately. “How about we go out for dinner tomorrow night?” 

Arthur stared at the floor for a while. Slowly, a smile crept onto his face and he nodded, glancing up at Eames momentarily. 

His voice was quiet and slightly shaky, but Eames could hear what he said clearly enough. “Dinner would be a good place to start.”

**Author's Note:**

> Title comes from The Smiths' 'Please Please Please, Let me Get What I Want'.


End file.
